


The Throne

by Galacticgirl



Category: No Fandom
Genre: Action, Angst, Because yes, Childhood Friends to Enemies, Cute, Enemies to Lovers, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Heartbreak, Kissing in the Rain, Love, M/M, MY BRAND, Original Character(s), Original Universe, Pining, Planets, Platonic Female/Male Relationships, Platonic Male/Male Relationships, Rivals to Lovers, Romance, Romantic Fluff, Sad, Slow Burn, Space Bois, a lot of it, amour, and a lot of it, angsty, chemistry till it blows up, childhood crush, galactic adventures, idk any other words for it, like slow cooker slow burn, like you left it in the kitchen for five hours to marinate slow burn, no bringing bullying back, no bullying bullshit, no closeted aggressive bullies, relationships, was that a taylor swift reference, we don't use that trope here, yes - Freeform, yes it was
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-10-20
Updated: 2021-01-12
Packaged: 2021-03-08 19:06:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 17,820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27121553
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Galacticgirl/pseuds/Galacticgirl
Summary: Noah Keating with the help of Daniel Walsh is opened up to a world even his wildest dreams couldn't have come up with.(in other words, I'm bad at descriptions but hopefully this is a good read)
Relationships: Noah/Daniel, Noah/Griffin
Kudos: 5





	1. The Keating Boy

**Author's Note:**

> The tale of Krysnia begins in a vast galaxy millions of light years away from the Milky Way. The galaxy was home to many planets, each differing from the next. The planet Krysnia was among those planets. It was home to all sorts of foreign plants and animals, and a beautiful civilization that believed in peace and prosperity over violence and war.
> 
> I have a lot of chapters done already and I’m planning on finishing this so no one has to worry about it not being completed! 
> 
> ***

Noah fiddled with the pen in his hand as he rested his cheek against his palm. It wasn’t unusual for him to doze off during classes, but his routine nap didn’t come without consequences.

He was, once again, bound to the confines of the building even after the bell had rung. It didn’t bother him though, he’d be on campus either way. He was made to finish the work he’d missed, but he found himself staring out the window. Students had begun to make their way out of the building in a haste, excited to enjoy the few hours of freedom they were given before curfew. His eyes wandered across the lawn, falling upon one familiar face.

 _Daniel Walsh_.

He had transferred to Eleanor Academy when he was around the age of sixteen, and Noah had seen him around ever since. He had two friends that he knew of: Scarlett Woods and Griffin Smith. Other than the fact that he was extremely popular, Daniel was a mystery.

Although it was common knowledge that he was adopted, he never spoke of the foster care system or any of his experiences. It was as if he just appeared one day. He had caught Noah’s attention from the first day he arrived. He’d grown much taller in the two years, and his brown locks had grown longer. His emerald eyes, as mesmerizing as they were, somehow seemed to shine brighter against his tan skin.

His thoughts were interrupted when he felt a book slam onto his desk. He kept a straight face as he looked up. He averted his gaze back to the paper in front of him, letting his pen hit the paper. He bit down on his lip, his grip tightening on his pen. The metallic taste of blood coated his

tongue as the familiar look of disdain shadowed over him. It was a look he’d been given ever since he started at Eleanor Academy—when he was merely eleven years old.

They had high hopes for him when he was first admitted into the program, but his mentors soon began to realize that he wasn’t his father—he’d never be him. He was hopeless. His disinterest in mundane topics separated him from the snooty girls and boys at the boarding school. The students that he’d grown to know and hate. The only thing that kept him in school was his grades because no matter how many times he had acted out or had fallen asleep mid-lecture, he’d be among the top students of the senior class. The truth was, the rigid structure of the school never resided with him. The school was meant for kids who knew what they were doing, not him. It was for the elite, the rich, the prestigious. It was for those who had pristine resumes and life-long plans - both of which, Noah did not.

He’d never been one to make many long lasting friendships. Sure, he’d been acquainted with a few students, but he’d lost them over the years. He was the Keating boy after all. The boy who had so much wasted potential, and the one who everyone avoided solely based on the fear of being judged by his side.

He used the back of his sleeve to wipe the blood from his bottom lip as his teacher made her way back to her desk. His pen met his paper once again, and he began scribbling down the answers. He reached over to the window's latch to unlock it when she wasn’t paying attention to him. “Keating,” she snapped when his attention had drifted for the millionth time, and he rolled his eyes, hoping that she’d notice. “Stop daydreaming and keep those eyes on your papers,” she said, a familiar sternness in her voice.

He was undoubtedly Mrs. Williams’ least favourite student. It made sense since he took up her evenings frequently with his misbehaviour and tendencies to fall out of line. He could hear the clank of her heels against the smooth tile as she opened the door after a knock sounded against it.

She stepped out of the room, and that was Noah’s window of opportunity to escape—literally. He slung his bag over his shoulder, leaving his completed work behind as he pushed the window open. Mrs. Williams made her way back into her classroom to see half the delinquent boy’s body out the window. He dropped his bag onto the mowed lawn before landing on his feet. He grabbed his bag, throwing it over his shoulder as she shouted at him from the window.

“Later Karen!” He shouted back, taking off. He bumped into a few students on his run to the other side of the quad, earning a few grunts and eye rolls. There was only one person he apologized to though. He didn’t understand why, but the moment the words left his lips, he noticed the stunned expression on the other boy’s face. He didn’t think much of it since he was pulled into the trance of his coloured eyes. He was snapped back into reality when Scarlett pulled Daniel away from him.

“That’s the Keating boy,” she muttered. “You don’t want to talk to him, he’s just trouble,” she spoke in a low tone, hoping that only her friend would hear. Noah rolled his eyes as he separated himself from the two of them. He wanted to save himself from whatever Daniel Walsh would say about him because he wasn’t sure he’d be able to take it. Still, he was unsure why.

_Why did he want his approval?_

He shook the thoughts away as he glanced back at both Daniel and Scarlett although he knew he shouldn’t have. Scarlett Woods had long red hair that reached her hips when it was let down. She kept it tied up most of the time for that sole reason. She wasn’t very tall, and she had to look up at Daniel to speak to him. She had pale skin, blue eyes, and light freckles covered most of her face. She was fierce though, and she definitely wasn’t afraid to tell Noah off in the middle of a class. Part of him wondered if she was named after Little Red Riding Hood, but he’d never ask her, that was one thing he knew for sure. He looked away from them when he almost ran into a wall. He turned the corner to enter the library, knowing that Mrs. Williams would have sent somebody out looking for him. The library was a safe spot for him since no one would expect him to be there.

He found sanctuary in between two shelves, trying to catch his breath from the sprint. He heard voices, and his name among them. He cursed under his breath, crawling out of the small aisle, and pressing his back against the wooden surface of one of the shelves. His attempt to hide himself worked since the librarian and the security guard had walked past him. He let out a sigh of relief before sliding down into a seated position. The teenager made the decision to stay for a little longer since the area was deemed as safe for him, and he didn’t want to risk being caught. He picked out a random book from one of the shelves to occupy himself. It was bound in faux black leather, and the title was written in curly gold letters.

_The Tale of Krysnia_

Noah opened the book, flipping through the first few pages of publication efforts and dedications until he reached the first chapter.

_The tale of Krysnia begins in a vast galaxy millions of light years away from the Milky Way. The galaxy was home to many planets, each differing from the next. The planet Krysnia was among those planets. It was home to all sorts of foreign plants and animals, and a beautiful civilization that believed in peace and prosperity over violence and war._

Snore.

_The planet bore colours that were unknown to mankind, but they were all the Krysnians knew. Shades of what could be made out to be purple, pink and green covered their home planet. There were large meadows with shiny grass and pink skies. The mountains seemed to float upon clouds, and the three moons could be seen from each peak. Krysnia had two suns to keep the beautiful balance of the seemingly magical place. One sun provided the Krysnians with strength and the other provided them with life._

_The Krysnian empire was ruled by monarchy, and the kingdom prospered under its royal reign. The long line of kings and queens never failed the Krysnians, and they always sought peace and…_ blah blah blah.

Noah flipped through the novel to find something interesting within the pages. He found a chapter titled, _The Keeper of the Stone_. He was about to start reading it when he was interrupted by a high pitched voice. “I found him!” The girl shouted, pointing in his direction. He cursed under his breath, shooting her a glare. She moved out of his line of sight as the security guard followed her directions. He abandoned the book on the floor as he made yet another escape through a window except this time he was on the second floor. He stood on the ledge of the building as students stared up at him as if he were crazy.

At this point, he’d think he was out of his mind as well.

He slid down a pole, making a beeline for the boys’ dorms. He took the stairs to his room, knowing that security wasn’t allowed inside the rooms unless it was an emergency. He unlocked his door using the keycard he was given at the start of the year. He dropped his bag onto the floor before flopping down on the bed. He stared up at the ceiling as a sigh escaped his lips. He heard a bang on his door and a voice coming from the other side. “You better stay in there, Keating!” The security guard shouted, and he rolled his eyes.

Someone barged into his room uninvited after a little while to disrupt his peace, and he knew exactly who it was. “I heard you were running around campus,” she said, and Noah looked over at her knowingly. “Was it Williams again?” She questioned, and he nodded with a slight laugh.

River Moore was the only friend that had stuck by his side no matter what it’d do to her reputation. She grew up on the upper side of the city, but she never held it over anyone. She was incredibly smart and artistic. Although she was a year younger than him, they clicked almost immediately. Her parents had separated when she was young, but it didn’t affect her as much since they practically lived and breathed Eleanor Academy. She had short black hair, peach skin, and brown eyes. She wore glasses most of the time, but she’d switch to contacts occasionally—this was one of those occasions.

“So,” Noah pursed his lips. “Why.. are you here?” he asked, finally making the effort to sit down, letting his legs dangle from the edge of the bed.

“I need to borrow one of your uniform shirts,” she replied, stomping over to his closet. She pulled it open, and Noah stood in front of her with his arms crossed over his chest. River was much shorter than him, and she sighed as she looked up at him. Besides from being his only and best friend, she was like a sister to him. He had coined the name “Rio” for her when she was in the fifth grade since it was the Spanish equivalent to her name. She muttered something inaudible, and Noah playfully rolled his eyes before handing the shirt over to her.

“Don’t cut it,” he warned, knowing that it was something she’d do since the shirt would be big on her. She mumbled a quick “fine” before taking the dress shirt from his hands.

“I threw my shirt into the wrong laundry cycle, so now it’s blue,” she admitted, waiting for him to laugh at her, which he obviously did. “See you at dinner,” she said before leaving his room. Dinner was in about half an hour, and Noah took that time to shower and change into his spare uniform. Since River had taken his dress shirt, he wore his sweater instead in hopes that the Head Mistress hadn’t issued a uniform check. He reached for his necklace, clasping it around his neck.

There was a red crystal set into it, and a strange marking carved into the back of the charm. He always remembered having the necklace, but he never questioned where it came from. It provided him with a sense of security and home. It was a strange feeling, especially for him since the only home he’d truly known was Eleanor Academy—if he could call the confines of the school a home. Home was supposed to be the place where one belonged, but the feeling had always been foreign to the Keating boy.

He found his way to the dining hall where Rio waved at him frantically from her spot close to the front of the line. She passed him a tray as he shot her a glare. “Rio! You cut my shirt!” He exclaimed, pinching the fabric from her sleeves. She pulled away from him as they began filling up their plates with food.

“It’s not like you care about being in proper uniform anyways,” she pointed out, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose, the contacts must have started to irritate her. “And this way, I can keep it,” she beamed at him. Noah truly didn’t mind her keeping the shirt, and he couldn’t care less about her cutting it, but it was the principle of the thing. They argued lightheartedly back and forth before sitting down at their usual table at the back of the upscaled cafeteria. Noah looked past his raven haired friend to the boy sitting at a nearby table. He was sitting amongst many other students, and they all looked intrigued on what he had to say. “Hey!” Rio said as she flung a piece of pasta at his face to release him from the entrancing hold the boy had on him. She looked back to follow his gaze, eyes widening. She bursted out laughing, causing eyes to turn in their direction. Noah’s fierce look caused them all to turn away as River had trouble speaking.

“Will you—” Noah began.

“You like him,” she stated, trying to stifle her giggles.

“What?”

“You like him,” she repeated, slowly enunciating the word “like”. Noah turned away from her as he shook his head. He didn’t like Daniel, he barely knew him. There was no way he’d like him. He was the golden boy, the polar opposite, he was The Daniel Walsh. He never fell out of line, and he always followed the strict rules of the Academy. He never faltered, and ever since he joined the school, he became everyone’s favourite—teachers and students alike. Sure, Noah had his eye on him from the moment he’d seen him on campus, but it wasn’t like he harboured feelings for the emerald eyed boy. “What is it? His hair?” She teased. “Or is it his eyes? It’s his eyes, isn’t it? They are that sort of stark-in-your-face green, so I get it. Come on though, the ever-so-stoic Noah Keating has a crush, an infatuation, or maybe it’s lo—”

“Okay! I get it!” He exclaimed. “And I don’t like him or his eyes,” he muttered, stabbing a potato wedge with his fork. Rio dropped the topic eventually, but Noah knew she’d resume teasing him about it later on. She broke her chocolate chip cookie in two halves to give one of them to Noah. He eyed her skeptically before taking the peace offering. “What..do you want?” He asked carefully, speaking slowly. He had the tendency of falling into her traps often, and he was sure this was one of them.

She pulled out her card from her pocket, sliding it across the table towards her best friend. “If you’re venturing out tonight, get me that telescope from the store on the corner of Main and Newhaven,” she said, giving him a hopeful look. He accepted the card from her, stuffing it into his pocket as she threw her fist up in excitement. Noah laughed at her excitement, playfully rolling his eyes before indulging in his half of the cookie. “This is why we’re best friends,” she added, smiling to herself.

The real reason they’d become friends was because Noah had kicked a trash can towards a group of prepubescent boys when he was in the sixth grade for picking on the younger girl. He’d met her for the first time prior to that during study hall while they were both attempting to do their Spanish homework. Their first encounter was also the reason he’d named her “Rio”.

He popped one earbud into his ear, half listening to River’s spiel about the telescope. He found his eyes once again wandering to the boy at the other table. He shook off the daze, turning his attention to his friend.

<*>

The clock struck midnight, and Noah carefully pushed the door to his room open. Security was most probably on another level at this point. The door clicked behind him, indicating that it had locked. He made his way down the hallway when he heard a few giggles. He rolled his eyes when he realized that it was just a couple sneaking out for some kind of rendezvous. He slipped past them easily since they weren’t paying much attention to their surroundings. Thankfully, he’d made it outside without any other run-ins.

The crisp night air was cool, and the campus was serene at that time. There were no students buzzing about and the only sound that could be heard was the soft rustle of the trees from the breeze. Noah zipped up his sweater, pulling his hood up as he avoided any sort of human interaction. He hoisted himself up the fence when he saw a flash of light. The security guard was heading in his direction. He made it over the fence, but not without cutting his hand on the wire. He cursed out loud as he looked at the deep red gash on his hand. He gritted his teeth as he swallowed the pain. He looked back when he heard a grunt, only to come face to face with Daniel Walsh.

His eyes seemed to widen when he noticed that Noah was also there, and both of them stood on the grass, in the dark of the night, silence washing over them. Noah was the first one to break away from the stare, clenching his fists. Blood dripped from his right hand as he began making his way towards the street. The Keating boy was stopped when the other boy grabbed his hand, looking him directly in his purple irises.

“You’re not going to remember this in the morning,” he stated.


	2. Daniel Walsh, Who?

Noah slammed his palm against the surface of the blaring alarm clock in an attempt to turn it off, groaning when it fell onto the floor. He buried his head in his pillow to drown out the sound, but it was no use. He forced himself out of bed, picking up the clock from the floor. The time flashed  _ 7:15 _ tauntingly, and a slight sigh escaped his lips. He had merely fifteen minutes to change and get to the dining hall for breakfast check-in. He fought the urge to smash the object against the wall before placing it on his bedside table. 

There was a strange throbbing in his head as if something were missing. The events of the night were like some sort of fever dream, and his mind couldn’t, as hard as he tried, find any sort of recollection that connected the broken memories. He pulled open his closet door, grabbing his uniform. Noah squeezed his eyes shut, pinching the bridge of his nose as the pain in his head continued. He looked into his palm, feeling as though something was supposed to be on it, but there was nothing. He wasn’t sure what he expected. 

_ Did he think there’d be writing on it? Had something happened to it? _

The faded memories were almost like drunken ones, but not quite, and he’d know—he’d woken up hungover on countless occasions. This was different though. Something was  _ missing _ , it had to be. He remembered River asking for the telescope from the gadget shop around the corner, and he remembered sneaking out to get it, but after that, it was all a blur. The ache in his head only grew the harder he thought about the subject, so he ended up abandoning the thoughts. 

He didn’t bother tucking his shirt in as he ran across the field to the dining hall for their early morning check-in. He knew he’d be reprimanded for his tardiness unless Rio had managed to cover for him, which she, thankfully, did. He found his seat in front of her with a bowl of cornflakes drenched in milk. “You’re lucky Williams wasn’t in charge of check-ins today,” she said, sinking her teeth into the muffin she’d picked up from the array of breakfast selections they were provided with. Everything from oatmeal to cinnamon rolls. Rio didn’t bother looking up at him since she was too invested in reading whatever it was that she was reading. “This is so cool,” she added, finally looking up at her friend. Noah caught sight of the cover of the book, rather, the manual she was reading. 

_ The telescope.  _

He’d gotten it for her after all, but why couldn’t he find the memory? His stomach churned at the possibilities and what ifs that ran through his mind. He closed his eyes once again, desperately summoning the memories in hopes that they’d somehow appear.  _ Nothing _ . He looked down at his palm for the second time, something was off. Something happened during the night, and he wanted—no, needed to know what. He’d have to think about it later since it was time to get to class, and his first class was with Mrs. Williams. 

Alongside River, he made his way through the hallway, biting back his tongue to keep himself quiet. He wanted to tell her the strange feeling he woke up with, but at the same time he didn’t want her to be preoccupied with it during class. They parted ways when Noah reached the dreaded math teacher’s classroom. “Good luck in  _ hell _ ,” Rio said, patting his shoulder reassuringly. He laughed a little at the remark before his best friend scurried off to get to her English class. 

Mrs. Williams wasn’t very pleased to see him, especially after the stunt he’d pulled the day before. She’d instructed him to tuck in his shirt before entering her classroom, and he politely obliged. He found his seat by the window in the back as Karen began handing back their tests. She mentioned comments to the students who did well, giving them smiles as per usual. She placed Noah’s on his desk without a word or any show of emotion. She didn’t even crack a smile—not surprising at all. He picked up his test paper, looking at the percentage written in black ink and her handwriting. 

_**98%** _

He smiled to himself, glancing over at his teacher. She broke her gaze away from him, shaking her head slightly. She didn’t enjoy the fact that he did well despite falling asleep during her lessons, but the Keating boy took pride in that. He tucked the stapled papers into his bag before his head began to bob back and forth with sleep. His eyes wandered to the door, and he saw a figure walk by. It was only for a split second, but he heard his voice, and he knew exactly who it was. 

_ Daniel Walsh was there. He was outside. He was who Noah had seen last.  _

The mysterious boy was only becoming more and more peculiar. First, he’d seen the golden boy sneaking off of campus, and second, he’d had an interaction with him, but why didn’t he remember it? Questions began flooding his mind about the boy, only interrupted by the sound of his name being called in Mrs. William’s voice. He cursed under his breath when he realized that he’d been asked a question. “Two..?” He replied, and she let out an exasperated sigh as she wrote the answer on the board. 

_ Keating: 2 ; Williams: 0 _

He yawned, trying to keep himself awake. There were only a few minutes until class was over, but Noah was starting to doubt the fact that he’d even gotten any sleep the night before. He didn’t know how long he’d been out there, but he had a feeling he knew who did. How would he approach him about it though? What if he was just imagining things? Could he have dreamt up the situation as part of his paranoia? 

After battling his own thoughts and ideas, he settled on talking to River first. She was his best friend, and he trusted her with everything and anything—except  _ his hair, _ that was where he drew the line although she’d offered to dye it purple many times. She claimed it would bring out his eyes, but he was afraid she’d somehow find a way to burn his hair out. 

He managed to stay awake throughout the entirety of the class, truly a miracle, and he was the first one out the door when the bell rang. 

Eleanor Academy took up a large area of the community because of the expanse of the campus. The schooling building had stayed the same over the years since the school took pride in it’s old and historical architecture. Some aspects of the area had been renovated, but for the most part, it was the same. The same banisters, the same chandeliers, and the same stained glass windows. An upgrade they’d made were the lockers lining the walls and the new water fountains. Noah found his locker in the English hallway, exchanging his books for the ones he needed for his next class. 

He noticed Daniel was at his locker as well, and Noah made his way over to him. Everything in his body was screaming at him to not confront him, but he ignored the warning signs. He closed his locker for him, and the other boy seemed confused. Noah’s eyes shifted with anger as he looked into the green ones in front of him. He was about to open his mouth to speak when he grabbed onto the handle of the locker, a stabbing pain in his head. He could’ve sworn the metal almost warped with his grip, and the unexplainable ache was gone when the mysterious boy had left. He regained his composure, opting not to go near him until he’d spoken to River about it.

He saw flashes of red in his palm, and the memory began resurfacing. He’d cut his hand while climbing the fence. He recalled how the blood dripped from the wound, and Daniel had done something to him, but  _ what?  _ Somehow he felt the pain of the injury, but there was nothing there. Absolutely nothing. There was no scar or mark. There was no indication that it’d ever happened, but it did. He was sure of it. Something wasn’t right about the boy. Daniel Walsh was hiding something, and Noah would get it out of him one way or another. 

Most of the students had gone to their next class, save for a few who were loitering in the halls. Noah looked around before grabbing his bag from his locker. He made his way towards one of the exits, the pounding feeling in his head still very prominent. He stayed near buildings, so that no one would see him as he neared the edge of the fence. He grabbed onto it as he closed his eyes, trying to concentrate on the events of the night. He tuned out the rest of his surroundings in an attempt to focus on the missing memories. 

He felt someone grab his shoulder roughly, pulling him away from the closed off area. His eyes flew open, and he came face to face with one of the security guards. He gave him a dirty look, but Noah just averted his gaze. He looked back at the spot, some kind of familiarity creeping up in his mind. He assumed the security guard would escort him back to class, but he was leading Noah towards the Head Mistress’ office. 

Head Mistress Vera had reached the end of the line with Noah. She, herself, knew him as “the Keating boy” or in other words,  _ trouble _ . He was notorious for the stunts he pulled around campus, and he’d been sent to her office more times than was deemed acceptable throughout the years. He was pushed into the room by the security guard, mumbling a “thanks Josh” to himself. He took a seat in front of her desk, biting down on his lip slightly. 

The Head Mistress turned to face him, a look of disappointment crossing her features as she looked at the young boy. He was the spitting image of his father, but his looks were where that image ended. He was nothing like his father, personality and behaviour wise. “Your father wouldn’t be very proud,” she said, trying to appeal to his emotions. He clenched his fists to keep his frustrations inside. 

He despised the fact that his mentors felt the need to bring his father up. His father was the one person Noah looked up to all his life, and once he died, it’d always been used against him. They’d muster up some kind of story of how disappointed he’d be in his son, and how he wasn’t meant to be the boy he was. 

_ If he wasn’t the Keating boy, then who was he? _

“He was always on top, grade wise and behaviour wise. Your father never faltered, but somehow I still receive complaints about you, Mr. Keating,” she quipped in a harsh tone. “You always end up in my office one way or another, and it’s never because of something good,” she pointed out. Noah unclenched his fists as he looked up at her. 

“You don’t get to speak about my father, Head Mistress,” Noah replied. “He’s dead and he isn’t coming back, and you’re not allowed to speak on behalf of him. You don’t know what he’d think, and frankly, with all do respect, go fuck yourself because you’re not him,” he finished, and she seemed stunned by his forwardness. He got up from the seat in front of her desk, swiftly opening the door, and slamming it behind him. He kicked at the wall, cursing once again, but to himself. 

He walked back outside, finding a quiet spot on the lawn to sit down. His eyes almost rolled to the back of his head when he saw a figure looming over him.  _ Griffin _ . Noah never got along with Griffin Smith. They butted heads at every corner, and it wasn’t unusual for him to bother him from time to time. “In the Head Mistress’ office again? If I didn’t know any better I’d think—” Griffin was cut off by Noah’s fist colliding with his cheek. Noah assumed that it would shut him up, but he was wrong. He seemed stunned at first, but he’d made it his mission to irk the Keating boy. “Come on Keating, we all know the only reason you’re here is because of your—” he continued, only earning him another punch. He liked to push Noah’s buttons, knowing that he’d pull some kind of reaction from him. Griffin managed to throw one hit at Noah, pushing him against the fence. 

Noah pushed the boy off of him, and onto the ground. His rage from what the Head Mistress had said took him over as he went in for another blow, but he was stopped by a strong grip on his waist and shoulders. He was pulled away from the boy by security guard Josh, who, in turn, seemed tired of having to babysit the Keating boy. He let Griffin go, prompting an eye roll from Noah once again. 

_ Classic _ . 

“You again,” he sighed, clearly annoyed, and Noah gritted his teeth. The Head Mistress refused to see him again after what he’d said, so Josh was made to sit with him until lunch hour. He grumbled something about being stuck with Noah and his pay cheque under his breath, and Noah bit back a laugh. He pressed the pad of his thumb to his lip to feel the blood on it before using a tissue to wipe it. He slumped back in his seat as he watched the seconds tick by on the clock in front of him. He closed his eyes in an attempt to sort through the events of the night he had recalled. 

He’d snuck out at around midnight, and he’d made it past the guards. He remembered climbing the fence quickly, scathing his hand against the sharp wire in the process. 

_ Drip. Drip. Drip.  _

The blood from the deep cut was falling onto the grass, and he was staring back at brightly coloured eyes. Daniel grabbed his hand and…

The bell rang, interrupting his thoughts and signalling that it was time for lunch. He made his way to the dining hall, but not before bidding Josh a farewell. Rio bumped into him in the hallway— _ literally _ . “What are you doing here?” She questioned, unsure why he wasn’t at the other end of the building since that’s where he had class. 

“I wasn’t in class,” he said, beginning to explain to her what happened with Head Mistress Vera. Rio seemed amused by the events of the morning, and she bit back laughter as they joined the line in the dining hall. 

“She deserved it for playing  _ that _ card,” she rolled her eyes, referring to the Head Mistress’ tactic of bringing Noah’s father into things. “So I guess you won’t be getting any freetime for the rest of the month,” she added, and Noah nodded. 

“I’ll find a way,” he replied before his eyes wandered to where Daniel was sitting. He was sitting at his usual table, and Noah gulped a little. He followed Rio to their table not too far from the other boy’s. He placed his tray on the table with a slight bang, causing Daniel’s eyes to meet his. He sat down, not breaking away from the stare. Rio looked between the two of them before snapping Noah out of his trance. 

“Am I missing something?” She questioned, and Noah shook his head. Daniel had stopped paying any sort of attention to him. “So are you just going to keep staring at your boyfriend or what?”

“He’s not—” Noah began, but he stopped himself. There was no point in arguing, and he had more pressing issues on his mind. “When did I give you the telescope?” He inquired, trying to piece together the puzzle that was his late night endeavour. 

“I think it was around five in the morning,” she replied. “Why?” Rio asked, suddenly curious as to why he needed to know. 

Noah nodded slowly at her response before taking a bite of his food. “Something happened last night, and I can’t remember anything,” he said, and she pursed her lips. 

“You’re sure you didn’t just get super drunk. I mean you didn’t seem drunk, but you have that thing where you can hide it well,” she pointed out, and Noah shook his head before he dropped his voice low. 

“I don’t know what’s going on, but Daniel was sneaking out too,” he stated, about to continue, but Rio didn’t seem to believe him. There was no way the golden boy was going to sneak off premises, and Noah sighed. She asked what exactly he remembered, and he told her the details he recalled. She furrowed her eyebrows in confusion, unsure what to make of what Noah had told her. She glanced back at the mysterious boy, and Noah seemed to lock eyes with him again. 

Noah stood up despite Rio telling him to sit back down. She followed after him, knowing that there was no stopping her hotheaded friend. He slammed his palms against the table, turning the students’ attention towards him. “We need to talk,” he said to the seemingly innocent boy. 

“He doesn’t want to talk to you,  _ Keating _ ,” Scarlett practically hissed his name, venom on her tongue, prompting an eye roll from Rio. She was about to make some snappy comeback Noah assumed, but he stopped her. He looked at the boy, purple irises practically boring holes into Daniel’s soul. He let out a huff before he got up, following Noah to the far end of the room. River had taken Daniel’s seat much to Scarlett’s dismay. 

Noah looked around before cornering him, making sure he had no escape. “What the hell did you do to me?” He questioned, but it was more like he was demanding for answers. Daniel seemed confused, but Noah knew it was just an act. “You were there last night. You were outside,” he reminded him, speaking slowly, and his eyes seemed to widen. 

_ He did remember _ . 

_ He was there _ . 

“You’re not going to remember this,” Noah repeated the words to the boy, his fuzzy memories finally becoming clearer. Daniel gulped, putting his hands up defensively. “Yeah, I remember, so you—” he said, taking a jab at his chest. “—did a pretty crappy job at doing whatever witchcraft you’re into.” 

He had  _ The Daniel Walsh _ cornered now. He would be getting his answers now. There was nothing he could do in front of a crowd to get himself out of this mess.  _ Could he?  _

_ He was wrong.  _

Oh so very wrong. There was something he could do, and he did it when Noah had sauntered up to his locker as well. 

It was painful, and Noah felt like someone was drilling holes into his brain. It took every ounce of strength he had to keep himself from screaming. His hands flew up to his head as he gritted his teeth, closing his eyes. He opened them again, and Daniel stumbled back a little. The excruciating pressure was gone, but by the look on Daniel’s face, it wasn’t supposed to stop. The boy cursed under his breath, and Noah felt a drop of blood on his upper lip. 

_ Had the pain been enough to cause a nosebleed? _

“I’m sorry,” the words escaped the boy’s lips. His tone was soft and genuine as if he sincerely didn’t mean to hurt Noah. It was like some sort of defence mechanism that he couldn’t control, yet Noah had overcome it. “I don’t know what’s going on,” he admitted, and Noah felt slightly guilty for being harsh. 

He mentally scolded himself for melting under his emerald gaze, hating the fact that he had a soft spot. His eyes softened a little, and he looked away from him. “I’m not buying this innocence act. You’re up to something,” he said, still looking at their feet. Silence washed over them, and Noah wasn’t sure if their conversation was over or not. There was so much he wanted to say to him, so many questions dancing around his mind, but his lips couldn’t seem to form the words to ask even one. 

“Same place, same time,” Daniel said, and that’s when Noah looked back up at him. He knew what he meant by the four words, and he nodded. There wasn’t something reassuring about the way Daniel spoke, but maybe it was just the soft spot Noah had for him speaking. He gave him a simple nod before wiping the blood from his upper lip, and turning on his heel. 

Daniel Walsh definitely wasn’t the boy he thought he was, but he meant something to Noah. He found his fingers tracing over the red crystal of his pendent—a subconscious habit he had. He hated the feeling he got when he’d apologized to him. He was supposed to be angry and upset, but somehow all of those feelings had dissipated, and he was  _ weak _ . He didn’t want to comply with the boy’s instructions, but it was the only way he’d get answers or some kind of clue leading him to the answers he wanted, the answers he so desperately needed. 

“What happened?” Rio asked, tripping over her feet as she followed him back to their table. Noah sat down, but this time he didn’t even glance at the boy. His full attention was on his raven haired friend. She pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose, awaiting his answer anxiously. 

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Since I have a lot of the chapters done, I’ll probably be updating this twice a week for now
> 
> I appreciate feedback and comments!! 
> 
> Kudos too <3


	3. Betta Fish

He was in the girls’ dorms that night since it was easier to sneak out of them. The building was closer to the fence, and it would reduce the risk of Noah being caught on his way to see Daniel. He was hoping that he’d get some answers from him, but after lunch, he’d stopped thinking about the encounter. Just as he and Rio expected, he’d lost most of his privileges after disrespecting the Head Mistress. 

River was fiddling with her telescope as Noah lay on her bed, staring upwards. She had glow in the dark stars plastered to the ceiling, and he smiled at the memory of them putting them up together. He recalled how she had been up on his shoulders as she stuck them onto the roof instead of standing on the bed like he’d suggested. The two of them had taken quite the fall, and Noah still blamed Rio. 

“Hey,” Rio snapped her finger in front of his face, pulling him away from the memory. “It’s almost time for your date with your boyfriend,” she said, pointing to the clock on her bedside table. It flashed  _ 11:50 pm, _ meaning they had ten more minutes until they had to sneak out to meet Daniel. 

Noah had informed River of what happened with Daniel, but he’d left the part about the headache and the nosebleed out, unsure what to even make of it. They planned on going to see him together since River could keep watch for them if something strange happened, and Noah felt more comfortable if she was with him. Even though he had the unexplainable soft spot for Daniel, he still had to take the events of the night before and earlier day into consideration. He was nervous to see him again, and he wasn’t sure if it was River’s teasing that caused the butterflies in his stomach or the fact that maybe there was a slight chance that he harboured some kind of feelings towards the boy. 

“It’s not a date,” Noah replied, but his heart dropped at his own words.  _ Stupid feelings _ . “He literally said “same place, same time” that’s it. We’re just meeting,” he added with a slight shrug. 

He hated the way his heart swelled and sank in his chest. He hated the butterflies, and he hated the fact that there was a possibility that he liked the mysterious boy. Daniel had  _ hurt _ him, but somehow his heart seemed to ignore that fact, creating a line that only he could tug at.  _ A heartstring made specifically for Daniel Walsh. _ He pushed the thoughts out of his mind, refusing to comply with them.

_ He. _

_ Did. _

_ Not. _

_ Like. _

_ Daniel. _

_ Walsh. _

“At midnight, where you’re going to sneak out together and talk...sounds like a date to me, Noah,” she stated, unable to change her mind at this point. Noah playfully shoved her, and she laughed. “I guess you can ask your boyfriend out tonight if you think it isn’t a date,” she suggested. “But first…”

“No,’’ he replied simply, knowing exactly what she was going to say. It was the same spiel everytime, but she never got tired of it. 

“Please,” she pouted, pulling out the purple dye from her bedside drawer. “Daniel won’t turn you down, trust me, you’ll be  _ irresistible _ ,” she added, stretching out the last word, and Noah rolled his eyes. He was perfectly content with his jet black hair without the purple colouring. There was no way he’d be letting her dye his hair, she could barely take care of her own shirts. She put the dye away once she realized that he wasn’t going to give in. 

He never did. 

“I don't need his approval,” he responded, ignoring the guilt he felt for the words. They were true. He didn’t need Daniel’s approval, and he surely didn’t want it.  _ What did he want from him?  _ He wanted answers to the questions that had been floating around in his mind, but something told him that he wouldn’t be able to ask any questions once he got there. His voice always caught in his throat with the boy, and he found himself biting his tongue with him. 

_ Maybe he did want his approval.  _

That approval wouldn’t come from dying his hair though he’d concluded much to Rio’s dismay. She grabbed his hand to pull him off the bed since it was time for them to make their escape. She stayed behind Noah as they dipped into the hallway. He knew all the best exits, so their safest bet was to follow the Keating boy. They were about to turn the corner on the first floor when Noah was met with a face he really hoped he wouldn’t have to see. 

“I always wondered why you two were friends,” Griffin said, and Noah had to resist the urge to smack him in the face. “But this makes sense,” he said, gesturing between the two of them. Noah rolled his eyes as River grabbed onto his hand to stop him from throwing himself at the boy. 

_ Griffin made that very difficult _ .

“You know, I have this really cool telescope if you wanna see it,” Rio said, grabbing Griffin’s hand, and abandoning Noah’s. He seemed skeptical at first, shooting a glare at Noah. When Noah stayed silent, he gave his full attention to Rio. She turned back with Griffin, gesturing for Noah to go. He let out a sigh of relief when he made it outside, but he was suddenly more nervous. River wasn’t going to be there, and Noah wasn’t exactly sure if the Walsh boy was trustworthy or not. 

Nonetheless, he swallowed the nerves, making his way over to the fence. He was careful in climbing it that time. Daniel was already there, and he made his way towards him. He was cautious as he approached, and Daniel must’ve noticed because he spoke. “I want to...explain, but not here,” he said, and Noah just nodded, stuffing his hands in his pockets as he looked around. It was another colder night, meaning that winter was upon them soon. 

“I know a place,” he replied, scolding himself for how awkward he sounded. He beckoned Daniel to follow him, and he did so. They walked alongside each other on the sidewalk, and Noah just looked down at his feet. 

The bus ride ended up the same way, silence overtaking them. Noah wanted to say something to him, but once again his words were caught in his throat. He wanted to demand answers from him, but he found himself glancing at him every now and then; butterflies present in the pit of his stomach. He lost himself in his thoughts, slowly being lulled into sleep when Daniel shook him to keep him from falling into a deep slumber. 

He hadn’t gotten much sleep with everything that was on his mind, but he tried his best to stay awake. Their stop was a suburban area that held a lot of memory for Noah. There was a medium sized house on the plot of land nearby, and Daniel turned to Noah. “Is this where you grew up?” He questioned as they sat down on the soft grass. 

“Yeah, just me and my dad,” he replied, bending his knees slightly so that his feet were planted on the ground. It was common knowledge that he’d lost his father when he was young, but he wasn’t sure if Daniel knew since he’d only been at their school for two years. It’d always been a sore subject for him and it still was. He was the one person the Keating boy admired and looked up to, and the only family he’d ever known in his young life. 

“What does he do?” Daniel let the question escape his lips, and Noah took it as he didn’t know about his father. It was refreshing in a way. There was someone who didn’t know about his past, and he’d be able to tell the story exactly as it was instead of the rumours flying around. 

“He  _ was _ a marine biologist,” Noah replied, emphasizing the  _ was _ . Daniel gave him an apologetic look, and he just shrugged. It’d been years since he died, and despite the waves of sadness and frustration he felt at times, Noah felt as though he’d moved on. His father was in a better place, and there was nothing he could’ve done to stop what had happened from happening. 

He missed his father dearly, that’d always been evident. He didn’t like others speaking about him either, especially if it was his teachers or Griffin Smith. Griffin’s father had been close friends with Noah’s father, and they had been friends once, but things changed. It was a long and complicated story, and somehow it ended with Noah and Griffin not getting along whatsoever. Sometimes Noah wondered if Griffin envied the relationship he had with his father. He’d always been close to him, but Griffin had never been close to his own father. 

Noah had memories of following his father around during work and helping him fix things around the house. He recalled how he’d always been determined to do things by himself, and his father would only laugh at him when he managed to mess up. It was all lighthearted fun though since he learned a lot from the man. 

He wasn’t that boy anymore. He was the boy who his father would’ve been disappointed with just like his mentors reminded him of every other day. He wished he could be like him, but the only similarities they shared at this point was their last name. He was the Keating boy, but instead of the title being a statement of pride, it was synonymous with trouble, wreckage, and anger. 

“He was sick, I knew it for years, but he didn’t tell me until I was ten,” he said, looking up at the stars. He could feel Daniel’s burning gaze on him, but he swatted the butterflies away. “I guess I knew I would lose him soon, but it just felt like it was  _ too soon _ . He died a year later, and his last wish was that I was taken care of. So, that explains why I haven’t been booted from the academy yet,” he admitted, finally turning to meet Daniel’s gaze. His emerald eyes were a soft green as he looked at Noah with sympathy. Noah let out a slight sigh. “I wish I could’ve done something, but not all of us know how to perform weird witchcraft,” he added with a slight laugh, pulling a chuckle from Daniel as well. 

“What about River? Is she your girlfriend?” He asked, clearly curious about him. Noah began shaking his head before he could even complete his sentence. “You just seem close,” he shrugged, and Noah nodded at that observation. 

“She’s like my sister,” he mumbled, pulling his legs closer to his chest. The ink around the side of his ankle was exposed, and he knew Daniel had noticed it too. He had two betta fish tattooed on the area a few months back in honour of his father, one fish for each of them. It was a simple tattoo, and River had been there when he got it. She claimed she wanted to see him cry like a baby, but much to her dismay, he hadn’t even shed a tear while getting the artwork ingrained into his skin. Come to think of it, River was the only family he had left, and he was always grateful to have her. She made his days more entertaining, and he did the same for her. 

Daniel picked up a wilted flower from the ground, and Noah gave him a questioning look. He moved his hand around, a glittery green glow following his movement as the flower seemed to regain its strength. It rose up on it’s own, the petals becoming fuller and blossoming once again before the green glow was gone. 

He looked back at the awe on Noah’s face before he spoke. “Pretty cool, huh?” He asked, and Noah nodded, unable to form words after the display he just witnessed. Noah was silent before he was finally able to form the jumble of words in his mind into a question. 

“Can I ask you something?” The question stupidly slipped past his lips, and he almost slapped his palm to his forehead, but he stopped himself. He gulped a little, and Daniel responded with a simple nod,  _ yes _ . “What did you do last night? To me, I mean,” he clarified. 

Daniel looked down at his hands, unable to look at the vulnerable violet irises in front of him. There was something about the mysterious boy that made him vulnerable, the same soft spot showing up once again. His heart was beating fast, awaiting Daniel’s answer. He could feel it pumping blood in his chest, and he was afraid something else would happen. 

There was only one other time that Noah had truly been afraid, and that was when his father had died. He felt true fear when he was left behind in the lonely world to find his way on his own, but he’d only managed to get lost further. He wasn’t sure if Daniel was going to reply, but he assumed that he was searching for the right words to answer Noah’s inquiry. 

“I took your memories,” he admitted, but before Noah could say anything, he continued. “But I’ll give them back. I just.. I messed up, I guess my magic is a little rusty, and you caught me off guard,” he rambled on before offering his hands to Noah. Noah took them, closing his eyes as per Daniel’s instructions. He peeked a little to see that Daniel’s eyes were closed as well, and he was lost in concentration. 

Noah felt his heart flutter at the gentle touch, and he was grateful that the other boy couldn’t see the light pink streak across the bridge of his nose and cheeks. He felt a tingling sensation of warmth before his eyes shot open, and the fuzziness of the memories was replaced with vividness. 

_ Daniel had grabbed Noah’s hand, and pulled him towards him, ignoring Noah’s question about the comment he made. He took his other hand, wincing at the sight of the blood oozing from the deep wound. He clasped his hand over the cut, the glittery green glow following his movements like pixie dust before he removed his hands and Noah’s injury was reduced down to nothing. He looked up at the boy in awe, unaware of how he did such a thing.  _

“You healed my hand?” Noah said, but it came out more like a question. His head hurt from all the information he was given. “How is that even possible? How-how, do you just take someone’s memories?! How do you know how to do that?” He sputtered out all at once, unaware of where this new found confidence came from. It must’ve been the adrenaline pumping through his veins. 

If Daniel had taken his memories, then why had he healed his hand? Who even was he? How did he have the ability to do something like that? Why did Noah seem to recall bits and pieces of the night?

“What—who the hell are you?” He asked, stumbling back from him. This was  _ fear _ . He started to question why he felt so vulnerable around him, and part of him felt like he had cast some sort of spell to get him to reveal that side of him. 

It might’ve been an irrational thought, but he’d seen him perform some kind of  _ magic _ , so his worries and fears may have not been that far fetched after all. There was a considerable amount of distance between them now as Noah took in everything from his new found memories. He tried to pace his breathing when he found himself hyperventilating. He couldn’t even look at the boy. 

_ Was he even a boy? _

“I know you’re confused, and I can tell you, but it’d be easier to show you,” he said as he stood up, outstretching his hand to help Noah get up. “It’s kind of far from here…” he trailed off, and Noah assumed he was thinking about how they’d get to their destination. His hand was held out in front of Noah, and he was hesitant to take it. Daniel flashed his green eyes at him. “Just trust me, please, I’m not going to hurt you,” his tone was soft, and Noah accepted the gesture, letting him help him up. He wasn’t sure why he gave in, but maybe it was something like a siren’s song. 

_ Maybe he was being lured into the lion’s den. _

He let go of Daniel’s hand, realizing that he was still holding onto it with a deadly grip. He tried to relax himself as he gazed at his childhood home. He gulped a little before he opened his mouth to speak. 

_ He would have to trust him tonight if he wanted more answers. _

“I think I know how we can get there,” Noah said as he ran towards the abandoned house, and Daniel followed after him. He entered the passcode to open up the garage, and both of them went inside. Noah removed the tarp from something sitting in the middle of the area to reveal a shiny black motorcycle. 

“And you can drive this..thing?” Daniel questioned, clearly doubting his abilities. Noah threw one leg over it as he gripped the handles. He tossed Daniel a helmet, a smirk forming on his face. 

“I trusted you, now it’s your turn to trust me,” he stated before putting his helmet on. Daniel fitted the helmet on his head as well before getting on the motorcycle. His hands made their way to Noah’s waist, and he was thankful once again that he couldn’t see his face. “Hang on,” Noah mumbled as he revved the engine, driving off into the night. 

<*>

They reached their destination, or so Noah thought since Daniel had been guiding him throughout the ride. He hid his motorcycle behind some bushes as the boy led him through the thick trees and bushes. Noah felt panic arising in his chest when he realized the situation they were in. Thoughts began running through his mind of all the things Daniel could do to him without anyone ever finding out. 

_ He wouldn’t murder him, would he?  _

He tried pushing the thoughts away, but they started to make more sense as they got deeper into the forest. He somewhat knew about Daniel’s secret, and he couldn’t erase his memories, so the only way he could ensure he would keep silent was to silence him for good. He stayed behind Daniel, keeping a considerable amount of distance between them when he stopped. He turned to look at Noah, looking around as confusion crossed his features. Noah let out a sigh as he caught up to him without providing any sort of explanation. 

They made their way past a few more shrubs before they made it to an area with a stream of water and more open land. “Have you ever heard of the tale of Krysnia?” Daniel questioned, and the name sounded familiar to Noah. 

“I read this book once in the library, but not much,” he replied as they sat down on the grass, and Daniel nodded a little. He looked down on the grass, seeming like he was sorting through his thoughts. He closed his eyes as he threw his hands up in the air, swirls of green going up in the air to create some sort of map. The map surrounded them like some sort of miniature galaxy with thousands of glittering stars and many different planets. 

Daniel explained the story of Krysnia, a planet that was light years away from Earth. He told him how a neighbouring planet had begun attacking when the planet was vulnerable, but Noah always thought it was some old folktale or story. He took in the information he was being told, but he noticed something strange. 

It was a symbol he’d seen before. It was etched into the back of his necklace. He glanced over at Daniel before he tucked the crystal into his shirt. He gulped a little when Daniel informed him that the symbol was the crest of the neighbouring planet that had attacked Krysnia, Elzinore. 

He suddenly felt his palms go clammy as nervousness coursed through his veins.  _ Why did he have the crest of Elzinore?  _ Daniel spoke of the alien race of the planet with a certain disdain in his voice, and Noah swallowed his worries. He couldn’t let him know that he had the necklace. “What did they do to you?” Noah questioned, and a sigh slipped past Daniel’s lips. Noah wasn’t sure he even wanted to know since obviously he was somehow connected to these creatures, but he’d already asked the question. He couldn’t take it back now. Daniel didn’t reply, and Noah figured it was a sore subject for him. “You don’t have to tell me,” he said, and Daniel gave him a sad smile in response. He waved his hand and the glittery map dissipated into nothingness. 

“Everyone talks about you like you’re such a bad person, and when I saw you that night, I guess I messed up the procedure because I was worried since everyone has told me not to talk to you,” he said, and Noah wasn’t sure if it was meant to be a compliment or not. “Why don’t you ever say anything?” He asked, and Noah shrugged. 

“It’s not like it would mean anything now, and it’s never really bothered me,” he replied. “Why should I care about what a bunch of spoiled rich kids think of me?” 

“I think you’re pretty great, Keating,” Daniel said, and it was the first time someone had used the name in an endearing way in a long time. He was met with a smile from Daniel, and the butterflies in his stomach went wild. 

They were met with a pang of guilt though, the kind that creeped up from his stomach and made his heart sink. He reached for his necklace, fiddling with the chain nervously. There was no way he had a connection to some random planet millions of light years away. It was just a coincidence. He just happened to have the necklace,  _ right _ ?

Yet, something inside of him told him to keep it from his new Krysnian friend—if that’s what they even were. 

He unclasped the necklace from his neck, suddenly feeling like it was restricting his air flow. He knew it was just the nerves, but he let the bejeweled item fall into his palms. It glimmered under the moonlight, and Daniel must’ve noticed because his gaze fell to it. 

Noah gripped onto it tighter with wild eyes, trying to shake the feeling of fear bubbling up inside of him. He was met with the same fearful look from Daniel as he stumbled back from Noah. 

_ Was Daniel afraid of  _ **_him_ ** _? _


	4. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Noah finds himself walking straight into the lion’s den.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is chapter 4! 
> 
> Don’t forget to leave kudos and comments <3

Noah and Daniel stood on opposite sides of the field as Noah clutched the necklace tightly in his hands. Fear was written across both of their faces, and Noah wasn’t sure why the other boy seemed so afraid. 

Both of them were quiet. There was nothing but silence between the boys, but both of them were trembling at the sight of each other. Daniel put his hands out in front of him, creating some sort of orb of green magic as Noah stepped back, putting his hands in the air defensively. He tried to keep himself from shaking, but it was as if he wasn’t in control of his body. His legs had a mind of their own, and he could feel his knees beginning to buckle as Daniel cautiously stepped forward. “Where the hell did you get that?” he said through gritted teeth, his tone sending shivers down Noah’s spine. 

Noah didn’t respond. Rather, he couldn’t. His voice was trapped in his throat as Daniel inched closer and closer to him, only for him to respond by backing away. He gulped. “Daniel,” he said softly, but he wasn’t having it. 

“Where did you get that?” He asked slowly, but his tone was harsher this time as the swirls of green began growing. Noah swallowed hard, the thumping in his chest growing louder. “Where did you get the fucking necklace,  _ Keating _ ,” he snapped, a contrast in the way he said his name now than earlier. 

_ That hurt _ . 

It hit him right in the heart. Of course he’d find some way to mess things up as soon as they were getting good. He should’ve brought the necklace up. He should’ve been curious instead of hiding it. He seemed guilty, and somehow Noah felt as though he was guilty. 

He was afraid because there was a cold fire burning in Daniel’s eyes and that icy fire in the pools of green were meant for him. “I d-don’t know, okay?” he stammered as he fell back onto the ground, tripping on a log. The necklace flew out of his hands, and onto the grass with a soft thump, but Daniel didn’t seem to notice. 

His judgement was clouded by pure disgust as he looked down at Noah. “I’ve just had it, it’s always been mine,” he said, closing his eyes. A single tear slipped down his cheek before he opened his eyes again, vulnerable violet looking into guilty green. Daniel’s hands were shaking as if it was becoming difficult for him to hold the ball of magic between his hands. 

“I know you stole it,” he whispered, but this time his voice was soft. The harshness had disappeared, and it was replaced with something else. Perhaps it was realization. “Otherwise,” he shook his head, the thought being so horrifying to him that he couldn’t even finish his sentence. “You can’t,” he began, and Noah gulped when he saw the fire in his eyes again. He stopped himself from backing away, advancing towards Noah once again.

“Daniel, please,” Noah practically pleaded. “Please, just listen to me,” he repeated, standing back up with care and caution. “I-I didn’t steal it,” he clarified. He didn’t break his gaze away from Daniel. This wasn’t him. 

Noah hadn’t known him for very long, but he knew that Daniel wasn’t this person. There had to be something about the necklace that caused him to panic to this degree. Daniel was calm and collected while Noah was the impulsive and angry one. Daniel stopped, and Noah lunged for the necklace, his heart pounding in his chest as he did so. He looked back at Daniel one last time before taking off.

He didn’t know what he’d thought he’d accomplish. He didn’t know the way back, only Daniel did. He was the one who led them there after all. Noah mentally scolded himself for not paying closer attention to the path they’d taken. 

He knew Daniel was hot on his heels, and his worries about being murdered in a forest started seeming more like reality rather than just a nightmare or an irrational thought. He managed to clasp the pendant around his neck despite his hands shaking. He continued running, turning every and any corner he could in an attempt to stray away from the other boy. 

There was nothing that scared him more than the moment he reached a dead end. There was water, but there was no way he’d be able to jump in to escape. He wouldn’t be able to go anywhere or let alone know where to go. He let his back hit a tree, letting his eyes close as he heard Daniel’s feet tread against the forest floor. 

He wasn’t going to make it out of the forest, and he had absolutely no idea what was going to happen to him. He caught his breath as Daniel reached him. He created the whirlpool of glowing green between his hands once again. 

Noah was cornered. There was no way out now. He wanted to keep the necklace now that he knew it meant something.  _ It had to mean something, right? _

He opened his eyes to look at Daniel, thinking it was the last time he’d ever see someone’s face. He could feel the heartstring being pulled, and it  _ ached _ . Here he was, backed into a corner by the boy he most certainly had feelings for, ready to see to his demise. 

_ This couldn’t be the end, could it? _

It wasn’t supposed to go down like this. He and Daniel had  _ bonded _ . He’d brought him to the place he grew up,  _ his home. _ The only home he had. The place where he felt like he  _ belonged _ until the dreaded day his father died. For once in his life, he got to tell the story from his perspective to someone new. No rumours nor bluffs—just the truth. He cursed himself for showing that vulnerability, but he couldn’t help it. There was something about the emerald eyed boy that coerced that side of him out. Part of him felt as though Daniel reciprocated that connection. After all, he’d shown Noah his abilities and shared part of the story of his home planet.

_ He knew what he had to do.  _

Noah gritted his teeth before his trembling fingers reached for the clasp at the nape of his neck. He reached for it slowly, letting it fall into his hands. “T-take it,” he whispered, holding it out for Daniel. He seemed shocked by Noah’s words, and he was silent as if he were searching for something in the violet eyed boy in front of him. Noah knew that all he’d be confronted with was susceptibility and fear. 

He wasn’t proud of it, but he couldn’t mask his feelings. He was only human after all, there was no way he could switch off his emotions. Although, it was something he desperately wanted. He didn’t want to feel hurt by the boy in front of him. He barely knew him, yet he found his heart unmistakably dipping into his stomach with a physical anguish. 

_ Daniel Walsh had some kind of hold over him, and he couldn’t keep denying it even if his life depended on it.  _

“I don’t want it if it’s going to make you into this person because I know you’re not  _ this _ person. So please, just take it,” he found the words leaving his lips, sounding a little more sentimental than he hoped they would. He didn’t care if it meant something to him because it clearly meant more to Daniel. If Daniel needed the necklace to feel safe, then he could have it. 

Noah wasn’t deserving of it anyways. 

The boy reached out reluctantly, and the forest seemed silent. As chaotic as the night seemed for them, the place was serene. Little glows of light emitted from the fireflies zipping around, and the soft rustle of leaves could be heard from the trees. Other than that, it was pure silence, and the sound of heavy breathing filled Noah’s ears. 

Daniel grabbed the necklace, and the events that followed seemed like a blur. It all progressed so quickly.  _ Too quickly _ , that neither of them could make sense of what even happened. 

A sharp ray of light emitted from the reflective crystal, and Noah heard Daniel cry out as he was pushed back. Noah was knocked onto his back when he felt a sharp pain in his side. His hands found the spot immediately, and he could feel the wetness against them. He looked back at them only to see they were stained red. A strange glow emitted from the spot, and he could only catch a glimpse since his head was lulling back. He felt like he was in some sort of hazy fever dream, but he knew Daniel had hit him. He heard padding against the ground, and he looked up to see Daniel. “Here to finish the job?” he questioned tiredly since the attack had weakened him. 

The look on Daniel’s face was different. It wasn’t harsh or angered, and he seemed worried for the boy on the ground. He fell to his knees beside him, pressing his hands against the wound. “I-I’m sorry, I’m so sorry, I-I panicked,” he began, his voice shaky. He was trembling as he looked down at the blood. 

_ So much blood. _

It was soaking through Noah’s shirt, and Daniel seemed frantic. “Shit, shit, shit, I can’t use my powers, they’re not working,” he let out the string of curse words—something Noah never thought he’d hear the golden boy say. “Why aren’t they working?!” He exclaimed, squeezing his eyes shut as he applied a great amount of pressure to Noah’s abdomen. 

He hissed out in pain, and Daniel retracted his hands, looking down at them although they were covered in blood.  _ Noah’s blood _ . He apologized profusely, standing up to look around. Noah assumed he was thinking of some kind of solution before he dropped back down beside him. He tilted Noah’s chin towards himself, and Noah struggled to keep his eyes open. “Noah,” he snapped, but there wasn’t a trace of harshness in his tone. “We have to go. We have to get out of here,” he said, and it took Noah a minute to process what he was saying. Slowly, he gulped before nodding his head. 

Daniel helped him up, and he tried his best to ignore the shooting pain that went up his body. Daniel grabbed the necklace, and Noah could’ve sworn he saw purple cracks in his skin as he held onto it. He could’ve been delirious because of the blood loss, but after the events of the night, he’d believe anything. 

He seemed like he was in pain as he locked the pendant in place behind Noah’s neck. The purple marks seemed to fade away slightly, but they were still there. Noah was about to speak, but he found himself too weakened to do so. Daniel applied pressure to the bloody area as they navigated their way through the serene woodland. They made it to the motorcycle, but the only problem was that Daniel couldn’t drive it. 

He felt a rush of adrenaline suddenly enter his body. It was coursing through his veins, giving him enough strength to pull away from Daniel. He was still irked by him, it was all his fault that they were in this situation, and he couldn’t seem to withhold the frustration building up inside of him. He clenched his fists, his nails digging little crescents into his skin. He thought he was going to draw blood, but he let his fists relax, before he turned his attention to the boy in front of him. 

“This is all your fucking fault!” Noah shouted at him, swallowing the pain he felt. “If you just put your fucking hands down and  _ listened _ , we wouldn’t be here!” He hissed. It was his turn to be harsh. He was infuriated, angered, and in  _ pain _ . 

_ Immense pain _ . 

“You—” Noah took a jab at his chest, noticing the purple glow on his skin getting deeper, and he grunted. “—you,” Noah tried to speak before his jaw clenched and he felt like a knife was being twisted into his wound. He fell onto the ground as he practically pleaded for Daniel to stop. 

He didn’t know what it was, but it had to be Daniel. He wounded him with his magic, and it felt like it was ripping the wound to be even larger. He felt as though he’d been shot more than once while also being stabbed multiple times in the same spot. 

“I can’t!” Daniel exclaimed, falling onto the ground as well, the purple glow seeping through his skin becoming brighter, and he gritted his teeth. “Noah, please, y-you can’t be mad at me or—” he gulped. “It’ll get worse—” he cried out in pain before cursing at Noah. 

Noah closed his eyes in an attempt to push his feelings away. He focused on their goal: _ getting the hell out of there _ . “Give me your sweater,” he said, pressing down on his wound. The gut twisting feeling had subsided, but a great deal of pain was still there. Daniel seemed relatively okay as well now that Noah had pushed his anger and frustration aside. The violent violet glow in his veins was gone, and Noah was too weak to ask anymore questions. 

_ He’d gotten enough answers for one night.  _

Instead of handing his sweater over, Daniel seemed to have read Noah’s mind since he was tying it around his waist for him. He tightened it around the wound, so that enough pressure could be applied. 

He hated the way his heart fluttered when his fingers brushed against his skin, and he found himself pushing him away. He didn’t look back to see the concern in Daniel’s eyes because he  _ knew _ he’d melt from the gaze. He pulled the motorcycle out from behind the bushes before mounting on it, Daniel got on behind him. His hands made their way to Noah’s waist once again, but this time, he had to keep his hand pressed harshly against the gash. “Are you sure about this?” He asked softly, his voice making the hair at the ends of Noah’s neck stand. 

“What other choice do we have?” he asked, inhaling sharply before putting his helmet on. Daniel did the same, as Noah revved the engine of the bike. He sped off onto the dirt road, holding onto the handles with an iron grip. There was no way he was going to let them crash into anything. As much as he wanted to scream at the Walsh boy, he knew he hadn’t meant to hurt him, and something about that made his heart skip. 

He ignored the peculiar sensation. It wasn’t difficult to push those feelings aside since he had greater issues on his mind. The pain in his abdomen was the only thing clouding his mind at that moment, and he clenched the handles even tighter. He gritted his teeth as he felt himself slow down. He tried his best to speed up, but all he wanted to do was curl up into a ball and take sanctuary on the soft grass. He heard Daniel’s voice, feeling his chin against his shoulder, and he was brought back into reality. “You’re going to make it, you have to,” he said, pressing down harder on his wound. He could hear him whispering to himself, and he had a feeling that he was trying to get his healing powers to work. 

Noah felt nothing, which probably meant that he hadn’t figured out why they weren’t working. They made it back to Noah’s childhood home, crashing onto the ground. Both of the boys groaned in pain before Daniel got up, practically dragging Noah to the front door. He tried to reach for the hidden key, but Daniel had pulled it out of the ceramic turtle before he could. He unlocked the door, helping him inside as Noah’s breathing became heavy. He fell onto the couch, unable to make any sense of the words that were coming out of Daniel’s mouth. 

He could see his lips moving, but he couldn’t hear his voice. He just nodded jadedly, and the blood soaked dress shirt was being peeled from his skin. Daniel tied the sweater back around his waist before running off. Noah assumed he went to find something to clean and treat the injury with, but he wasn’t sure. He heard cabinet doors slamming one after the other and heavy footsteps padding on the hardwood floor above him. Daniel was definitely looking for some first aid supplies. He didn’t even know if he could clean the gash in his side. It was caused by some sort of alien magic, and it was still  _ glowing _ . 

Daniel returned with some supplies, dropping them onto the floor before adjusting Noah slightly, so that it was easier for him to care for him. He removed the sweater before passing Noah a wooden spoon that he must’ve gotten from the kitchen. “Bite down on it,” he said, and Noah did as he was told as Daniel opened the bottle of alcohol. “This is going to hurt like a bitch,” he warned before dampening a cloth with it and pressing it to the deep gash. Noah let out a scream, but it was muffled against the spoon and his teeth. 

There was a great amount of blood, and Noah was surprised that he hadn’t run out of it yet. Somewhere in the middle of the chaos, River, Griffin, and Scarlett had appeared. Daniel must’ve called them over for help, but their presence only added to the disarray and arguing. 

There was a lot of yelling going on, and it made Noah’s head hurt. It was pounding, and all he wanted was to be relieved of the affliction he felt. 

Noah couldn’t make out anything that they were saying, but he could tell that it was  _ loud _ . He made out some talk about giving him stitches to close up the wound, but none of them could decide on who would be the one to do it. Scarlett had left the room after the sight of blood became too much for her, so she was out of the question. “I’ll do it,” Griffin announced, grabbing the suture kit, and Noah suddenly found his voice again. 

“No!” he exclaimed in unison with Rio. 

_ River _ . It hadn’t crossed Noah's mind that she'd be utterly confused and afraid. He’d have to explain to her later. The night had gone completely sideways, and this wasn’t where they expected to be by the end. She looked over at Noah, her dark eyes meeting his. “I’ll do it,” she said, taking the suture kit from Griffin’s hands. She sat down in front of him, and Noah shook his head.

_ She didn’t need to do this _ . 

“I have to do this, you’re not dying, Keating, not today,” she said, opening up the little case. Noah felt awful, and it wasn’t just the physical pain. Rio was his best friend and seeing her tear soaked face and hands trembling only pained him even more. She was crying over  _ him _ , and she was afraid because of  _ him _ . He’d blame Daniel once again, but if he’d just left things alone, the events of the night wouldn’t have followed. 

_ Trouble always seemed to follow his path, his reckless and useless path.  _

“I’m sorry,” she whispered, and he knew she was talking about the added pain he was going to feel. Daniel took his hand in his as Rio dabbed at the blood around the lesion with the alcohol soaked cloth in a pursuit to clean it. Noah grimaced, clenching his jaw. 

“Squeeze as hard as you need to,” Daniel whispered, holding onto his hand tighter. The needle dug into his skin, and his grip on Daniel’s hand tightened. “Not that hard,” he winced since Noah was practically cutting off his circulation. Beads of sweat were forming on his forehead as he kept his screams inside. Before he could let out a cry, Griffin clamped his hand over his mouth. He had the sudden urge to bite him, but he fought it off, knowing that he’d done it for the best.

_ Griffin being sensible, that was new _ . 

“Just a little more,” River reassured him, and Noah was astonished at how steady she was able to keep her hands with the way the rest of her body was trembling in fear. She seemed like she began to panic, but she swallowed it when she met eyes with Noah once again. 

Tears formed in his waterline as his other hand searched for something to cling to. Griffin’s free hand was held out in front of him, and he wasn’t sure if he should take it or not. 

“Take it, you idiot!” Griffin exclaimed, practically shoving his hand into Noah’s and Noah held onto his hand with all the strength he had left. He felt his nails digging into both boys’ skin, but neither Griffin or Daniel seemed to care. They were too focused on making sure he survived. 

He felt extremely lightheaded, and the only culprit was how much blood he lost. The pain was becoming unbearable and it seemed like it was never ending. He just wished that Daniel’s powers were working, so that he could be put out of his misery. The tears were streaming down his face by this point. 

_ It was too much. The pain was too much. He couldn’t take this anymore _ .

He felt his vision begin to fade, little flashes of grey and black creeping up in his peripheral sight. He mumbled something against Griffin’s hand, letting out one final muffled cry before everything went—

**_—dark_ ** . 


	5. Purple Dye

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> River finally gets her way and Daniel makes an important decision

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The plans changed for this story for some time where I was considering rewriting it but I ended up liking the original version better so I will see this through until the end! 
> 
> Don’t be worried about it being left incomplete!!

The pounding in Noah’s head was becoming more prominent as he began opening his eyes. He felt a great deal of pain shoot up his body, and the fact that he’d been attacked with magic felt all too real. He was hoping that it’d all been a nightmare, and that he’d wake up back in his room at the academy with a killer headache instead of the ache in his entire body. At this point, anything would be better than what he was going through. His eyes began adjusting to the dim light in the room as the events of the night replayed in his head. He remembered everything from the moment Daniel had panicked and hit him with his magic to when River was doing up his stitches. 

He shifted a little in his spot, realizing how much of a bad idea that was when he felt a sharp pain in his abdomen. He turned his head, only to be met with more disappointment. 

_ Griffin _ . 

The first person he saw when he emerged from his deep sleep was none other than Griffin Smith. He was sitting on the far end of Noah's old room, playing with something in his hands before his brown eyes snapped up to look at the injured boy. He let out a long and exasperated sigh as Noah brought his hand to his forehead. He groaned as the pain only worsened. 

He wondered how long he’d been out, but the thoughts swirling around in his head only worsened the ache. He looked at Griffin once again, who had moved to sit on the edge of his bed. “Mornin’ sunshine,” he quipped, a stupid smirk painted on his face. 

“Are you flirting with me?” Noah asked, knowing it would annoy him, and Griffin seemed appalled by the accusation—if that’s what it even was. Noah’s mind went back to when Griffin had given him his hand to help him. Noah contemplated bringing it up as he looked at the brown eyed boy. “Thank you for what you did, you know giving me your hand and all,” he found himself saying, which prompted an eye roll from the other boy. 

“Now you’re flirting with me,” Griffin countered. 

“As if I’d ever do that,” Noah muttered. “But seriously, thanks.” 

“Yeah  _ whatever, Keating _ , I wasn’t going to just let you die and have blood on my hands,” he replied, his tone and voice cold. Noah looked away from him, unaware of what he expected from him. He was the same old Griffin. The one whose heart clearly went missing when it came to Noah. “I wouldn’t want to be framed for murder,” he added as if he hadn’t said enough. He mumbled something about his babysitting shift being over before he walked out of the room, leaving Noah alone to his thoughts. 

That didn’t last long since River had burst in through the door, immediately squeezing him into a tight hug. The gesture elicited a groan from him, wincing from the pressure she was applying to his messily stitched wound. River apologized before loosening her grip around him. She closed her eyes, letting out a sigh of relief. “I was so scared you weren’t going to make it,” she whispered, her voice wavering a little when she spoke. Noah let a sympathetic smile form on his lips, hugging his best friend back. 

“You’re not getting rid of me _ that  _ easily,” he replied as they pulled away. Rio cracked a smile at the comment. Both of their attention turned to the grumbling coming from the doorway to see that Griffin was standing there. Noah gave his friend a look of confusion, and she cleared her throat. Griffin’s attention snapped to them, and her eyes widened to ask what he was even doing. 

“We need a minute— _ alone _ ,” she emphasized the last word, and Griffin sighed once again before he closed the door. “What’s up with him?” 

“He’s been nice enough for one day,” Noah rolled his eyes before adjusting himself so his back was resting against his pillows. He bit down on his lips slightly when he got a good look at River’s face. Her eyes were puffy and her cheeks were stained with tears, she’d definitely been crying. He didn’t bring it up since he just wanted to forget about the whole experience. It was an irrational thought though, their whole lives had just been turned upside down, and they were a part of something bigger than them now. Noah wondered if River knew what was going on or if the others had even spoken to each other at all. 

“Everyone’s been on edge,” she said as if she’d read his mind. “Daniel pretty much locked himself in one of the rooms,” she added, and Noah’s blood boiled at the mention of his name. It was because of him he was in the condition he was in, and it was because of him River had been dragged into the whole mess. Even if he’d helped him, and offered him his hand when he needed it, he was still angry with him. River must’ve seen the way his demeanour changed at the mention of the Krysnian because her hand was placed on top of his almost immediately to calm him down. “Your boyfriend was worried about you, like  _ very _ worried,” she reassured him. 

Noah scoffed. “Don’t call him that, he’s  _ not _ my boyfriend, and it’s his fault this happened.” Noah wasn’t wrong and River knew it too, but the boy seemed remorseful. River was easy to forgive people, and it was one of the reasons she and Noah were still friends. Noah, on the other hand, was one to hold grudges. Even if that grudge meant not speaking to an insanely beautiful boy that had stolen his heart from the very first moment he’d looked into his emerald irises. With the way River was looking at him, Noah assumed someone must’ve filled her in on what happened. She seemed like she was taking it well, but it might’ve been the fact that she wanted to stay collected for her best friend. “How are you holding up?” he mumbled. 

“It’s a lot to take in, but I feel like I should be asking you that,” she pointed out with a little smile. Noah just nodded in response as the door swung open. Both of them let out sighs when they realized it was Scarlett that walked in. 

“Thank god you’re awake, this  _ one _ ,” she began referring to River. “Wouldn’t stop crying,” she stated, and River buried her face in her hands. “All we heard was sob after—” 

“I think that’s enough, Scar,” Griffin came to River’s defence, his words coming out through gritted teeth. 

_ That was odd. Why was he defending her? _

River was about to get up, so they could let Noah rest alone, and get some rest themselves since they were up all night. Noah grabbed River’s wrist to stop her, and the eyes on them seemed like they expected them to kiss. “You can dye my hair later,” he muttered quietly, and River’s jaw dropped. She mouthed a “really?” to him, and he nodded. She seemed like she wanted to pinch herself because there was no way Noah Keating had finally agreed to letting River Moore dye his hair. 

_ He hoped he wouldn’t regret it. _

“I love you!” she exclaimed, pressing a kiss against his forehead, and Noah playfully rolled his eyes at her excitement. She jumped up to show just how excited she was, running out of the room. She grabbed Griffin’s hand on her way out, dragging him along with her, and Noah assumed he’d be accompanying her to get the supplies. 

The air in the room became thick when it was just Noah and Scarlett left. He wasn’t sure how she felt about him. He knew she referred to him as the  _ Keating boy _ like most people, and he remembered when she’d warned Daniel not to talk to him or associate himself with Noah. A smile tugged on his lips when he realized how ironic that warning sounded now. They were all stuck with each other whether they liked it or not in light of recent events.

Noah wondered if the redhead would say anything to him. He remembered her leaving the room when the sight of blood started to make her queasy, leaving him in Griffin, Daniel, and River’s hands. She did speak, but Noah didn’t expect the question at all. In fact, he would have never guessed that she’d even ask about his tattoo. It came out of nowhere, but she was probably just trying to make conversation. “I got it for my dad,” he stated simply. He knew that she knew about his father’s death, almost everyone did save for Daniel, but the knowledge was passed onto him as well. The awkwardness continued after that, and Noah averted his eyes.

He hoped that she’d leave, but she sat down on the edge of his bed, fiddling with her fingers.  _ Was she nervous? _ Never in his life did he think he’d see her be nervous. “So you and River…” she trailed off, looking right into his perfect eyes. 

“We’re friends, yeah,” he replied with a slight nod. Her eyes seemed to light up, and it honestly frightened Noah a little. 

“You’re not dating?” She questioned, and Noah nodded slowly in response to her question. “That’s good to know,” she smiled to herself before she left the room. Noah shuddered at the thought of Scarlett ever asking him out, but that could never happen,  _ right _ ?

There was no way she liked him with all the remarks she’d made about him over the years, and the times she’d gotten him in trouble unless that was her twisted idea of a crush. Noah shuddered at the thought once again before he swung his legs to the side of the bed. He clutched the bandaged wound around his chest as he inhaled sharply. “Need some help?” Daniel’s voice came from the door. 

“No thanks,” Noah grumbled, forcing himself to stand up in an attempt to prove that he could make it to the bathroom himself. He held onto the wound as he walked towards the door. He ignored Daniel’s presence—something he never expected himself to do. “I don’t need your help,” he added, the pain evident in the way he spoke. Daniel’s eyes softened, and Noah scolded his heart for fluttering. 

_ How dare that happen.  _

The butterflies in his stomach became imminent, and they were beginning to distract him from his task at hand. He had to get away from Daniel, and to the bathroom. Despite his stubbornness and coldness, Daniel had slung Noah’s arm over his shoulders to take him to the bathroom. Noah slammed the door in his face when they reached their destination. 

He looked like hell. His hair was messy and there were scuff marks and little cuts all over his body. He held the chain around his neck, the red stone placed into it was gone and it was replaced with a purple one. It must’ve changed when they were in the forest, and Daniel probably knew why. Maybe if he found it in his heart to forgive him, he’d inquire about it. For now, he was tired of all the magic, and done with getting answers. He peeled the bandage away from him to look at the deep gash in his side before he put the piece of gauze back in place. He managed to tame his hair a little, and get rid of the dirt on his face before actually going on about his business. 

Daniel was waiting for him outside the door, and he rolled his eyes. He helped him back to his room, lying him back down in his bed. “I’m sorry,” he whispered. “And I’m not just saying that because I really am sorry I panicked, and that was wrong of me. It’s—It’s all just very complicated.” 

“So?” Noah asked bitterly. “It doesn’t mean you can just go around hurting people?! You almost killed me! If my necklace didn’t do that, then you would’ve let me die, would you not?” he asked. 

“I-I,” Daniel began, closing his eyes, and it was his turn to sit on the edge of the bed. “You’re right, I would’ve done that, but only because I was afraid you were—” he stopped himself. “Like I said,  _ it’s complicated _ .” The sentence made Noah’s blood boil, and he balled up his fists. 

“You hit me with your magic, you should be able to explain this to me. I almost died because of  _ you _ ,” he countered, venom in his words. He didn’t ever believe he could be this angry with the boy, but here he was, speaking to him coldly as if they hadn’t bonded, as if he didn’t have a soft spot for him, as if he didn’t awaken the butterflies in his stomach, and as if his heart didn’t skip a beat every time he seemed remorseful for what he did to Noah. 

Daniel gulped a little before he stood. “I’m truly sorry for what happened, and I can try healing you again later, but I can’t—” his breath hitched. “I can’t talk about this.” 

Noah felt his anger boil down when he heard the tone in the other boy’s voice. He seemed  _ hurt _ . Was it Noah who hurt him or was it the thing he couldn’t explain to Noah? Noah looked away from him before he felt him take his hand. “ _ But I promise I will tell you, _ ” he added, and with that he was out the door, leaving Noah and his butterflies to dwell on their own.

<*>

By the late afternoon, the “crew” was relatively well rested. Mostly everyone was awake, except for Griffin. Daniel had insisted on helping Noah down the stairs despite his constant protests. His grudge was still very much present even after the late night talk they had. Noah swallowed his pain as he sat down on one of the chairs in the kitchen since River was getting ready to dye his hair. 

Griffin walked past the two of them to grab something to drink. “Mornin’  _ sunshine _ ,” Noah mimicked what he’d said earlier, earning him a glare from the other boy. River laughed a little as she combed through Noah’s wet hair to straighten it. 

“What are you doing?” Griffin asked Rio as he poured himself a cup of coffee. 

“Rio’s dying my hair,” Noah replied as Rio displayed the box of purple dye in her hands. She was elated to be doing this. She’d been begging Noah to let her dye his hair ever since he was fifteen and she was fourteen. Noah felt like part of her was happy that he’d gotten hurt because he finally agreed to letting her do it. She subtly mentioned dying all of his hair, but he refused. He’d only agreed to add highlights, but Rio would take anything she got. 

“Rio?” Griffin gawked. “You call your girlfriend, Rio?” he asked in disbelief. River scrunched up her nose at his mention of her being Noah’s girlfriend, apparently everyone seemed to think that they were dating. 

“Girlfriend,” Rio laughed, and Noah laughed along, both of them finding the situation incredibly amusing. Griffin didn’t seem amused at all, and he threw his hands up in the air. “We’re not dating,” she clarified. “Noah’s into—” she began, but he stopped her. River’s gaze went to the other room where both Daniel and Scarlett were talking about something. Griffin followed her gaze towards them before his eyes widened a little. 

“Scar,” he muttered under his breath, and Noah let out a sigh of relief. If Griffin found out about his little infatuation with Daniel, he would never hear the end of it. Although he didn’t like the idea of Griffin thinking he had feelings for Scarlett, it was better than the truth. River started to apply the dye on Noah’s hair, the colour showing up in a darker hue against his raven hair. 

Griffin lingered around them, his eyes on Rio the entire time. Noah tilted his head as he examined the way his brown eyes gazed at his friend—as if he were pining. It was the same look Noah gave Daniel every now and then even if he didn’t want to admit it. 

_ Griffin had a crush on River _ . 

Unlike the other boy, Noah wasn’t cruel— _ sometimes _ —so he decided against tormenting him about the infatuation. He did it for River’s sake too. He had a feeling that she liked him back since she seemed to be hanging around him more, and the lingering touches between them spoke louder than words. Noah let out a small sigh at the thought of his best friend dating the one person who hated him the most— _ not fun _ . 

Griffin had moved to a chair nearby to hold the bowl of dye for her, and Noah had to keep himself from pretending to gag. It definitely wasn’t easy. Noah grunted a little when his injury became imminent once again. Rio had finished with the dye thankfully since Noah had lurched forward when the pain became unbearable. Griffin had caught him, so he didn’t fall onto the ground. He closed his eyes as tears fell from the corners. River stumbled back as she began shaking, and Griffin looked over at her before he broke his gaze away to see what was happening to Noah.

Noah felt like his insides were being ripped apart as if something inside of him was trying to rip through the stitches, and escape. He didn’t understand what was happening and neither did Griffin or Rio. River was clearly panicked, and somehow he knew she felt like it was her fault since she’d done the stitches. He tried to speak, but it only worsened the pain. “Daniel!” Griffin called out as Noah clutched his side. “Hey,  _ Keating, _ you’re not dying on us,” he said as Noah clenched his jaw. 

“Noah  _ please _ ,” River practically pleaded as she fell onto her knees on the other side of him. Daniel and Scarlett made their way to him. There was a green glow coming from under his shirt, and the moment Daniel stepped into the kitchen, the purple glow in his veins reappeared. He fell to the ground as if he were mirroring Noah’s pain. Noah looked up at him as if to say sorry since he had no control over the situation. His pendant was glowing, so he assumed it was doing something once again. 

He clenched his jaw to contain the screams that wanted to, so desperately, escape his throat. There was no way he was making it out of this alive. His eyes began closing as he felt light headed once again. Beads of sweat formed on his brow, and he tried to keep it together, but he couldn’t. He wanted to keep fighting, but he couldn’t. “ _ Noah _ ,” Griffin snapped, and it was the first time he’d used his first name in a while. “You have to fight it,” he said through gritted teeth as Noah’s fingernails dug into his skin. River and Scarlett were occupied with Daniel’s pain, and before he knew it, all he heard was white noise. 

He could see them, and the events playing out in front of him, but he could only hear a deafening screech in his own ears. River lunged forward to unclasp the necklace from around his neck before she and Scarlett ran out of the room. The boys were left alone, and slowly but surely, Daniel’s pain had completely subsided. He rushed to Noah’s side, placing his hands on the aching wound as Noah felt himself start to fade away. 

Griffin did everything he could to keep him awake. They were afraid that if he slipped away, he’d never come back. Daniel pressed down on the wound, and that’s when Noah finally let himself finally cry out, making his pain known. 

He was whispering something under his breath quickly, seeming like he was struggling. Noah’s breathing steadied when he felt the pain leaving his body as if it were magic, and it was. Swirls of green were leaving his figure, and collecting in the palm of Daniel’s hand. 

The pain stopped, giving Noah the opportunity to catch his breath. He traced his shaky hands over where the wound was, but the deep gash had disappeared, leaving a scar in its place. Griffin slumped back against the table in relief as Daniel breathed heavily. He seemed drained, and it was probably from healing Noah. “Are you okay?” Noah asked, finally able to sit up on his own. He was genuinely worried about Daniel, and somehow seeing him struggle as much as he did made his anger dissipate into almost nothing. 

Daniel nodded in response, but he was clearly exhausted. “ _ I think it’s time I tell you the truth. _ ”


End file.
